My Personal Shrine
by klcm
Summary: Garcia gets surprising results when Morgan learns of a 'shrine' dedicated to him...


**Disclaimer: I own nothing... Just my dangerous imagination!**

**A/N: **_So this was done as a little prompt snatch between me, Naidoo and Monnie32 when we were discussing men and shrines and the idea of a Morgan shrine came about... On Naidoo's prompt, it's being posted on FF and not just on FB... So I hope you enjoy!_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- My Personal Shrine -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope didn't know who else to call, and even though it was about him, she had to call him. It was as she sat amongst all of the torn up photos, her heart sinking in her chest at the destruction of both them and her relationship, that she realised she was in over her head. Had her relationship really reached crisis point that her denial over a door had ended it there and then? Obviously, it had, seeing as she was officially single, and her boyfriend – _correction: ex-boyfriend_ – had made damn sure that she understood just how permanent their break up was.

"Garcia," Derek called out as he opened her apartment.

Penelope hadn't even realised she had been trying to make some form of salvation for so long until she heard him call her name. "I'm in the bedroom," She said as she stood up, bunching the photos together. She wiped her face clean of any residual tears and tried to put on a happy face to try and disguise her overwhelmingly bad mood.

"What's up? Something sounded off on the phone," He said and he didn't need it signposted to know that something dire had played at hand.

"I just needed to see you," Penelope told him a tight smile. "It's nothing, I just needed you here."

Derek stepped towards, "Good, because I don't want you getting worked up over spilt milk or something pathetic like a broken photo frame or anything, Baby."

Suddenly it hit Penelope, crying over torn up photos was not worth the breath in explaining and so she decided to hash over that matter and kick the photos under the dresser and deal with it once Derek had given her some solace and sanity in the aftermath of her breakup.

Derek looked down as Penelope's foot kicked out a little, "Why are those like that?" He asked as he saw her kicking them further under the dresser. "Stop that," Derek commanded, "Why are they like that?"

"He tore all of them up," Penelope admitted as she looked up at her best friend. "I have no photos of us anymore. But, it doesn't matter, it's pathetic really." She gave him a smile, but even that didn't cover up her true feelings.

Looking back up, Derek watched Penelope's expression and he felt a stab of guilt hit him for his previous remark. "Kevin did that?"

"Right after he broke up with me," She shrugged off and felt her lip quiver, "He broke up with me." She looked back up at him, her eyes wide and glazed with tears.

Wrapping his arms around her, he felt her body shudder involuntarily, but she flinched and pulled away. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Penelope said and smiled that same forced smile again. "Can we get out of here?" She asked him simply. She needed some air, some clarity because she hadn't realised how claustrophobic her own home was making her feel at that moment.

Derek nodded and gave her a reassuring smile, "Go and get cleared up, take a shower or something, and we'll go out for some ice cream," Derek prompted her; he had an idea to give her a relaxing day, and make her realise that they were only photos. The real deal was very much there to stay.

As he watched he leave the room, he stepped in to pick all of the photos up off of the floor and noticed a colour stain on her dresser. Ignoring the photos, he stood up straight and put his finger tips to the stain. It didn't want a genius to realise it was blood, and on closer inspection everything that was on top of the dresser had either fallen over or was not exactly standing in his place.

Going over to the bathroom door, he knocked and leaned against it, "Baby Girl, can I have a word?"

"I'm about to hop in the shower," Penelope called out through the close door, she was standing ready to go under the water and now Derek was asking her to leave the room.

"Just two seconds, Princess, that's all," Derek requested and stepped back after hearing the shower shut off.

When the door opened, Penelope stepped out with a towel wrapped around her naked body, her hair messily pulled back and her expression still looking as down trodden as it had. She didn't step out of the doorway of the bathroom, and so just stared at him.

"Turn around for me, Baby," Derek commanded her, and he saw her lips purse. "Penelope, turn around."

"Why?" Penelope asked promptly, but she knew he knew.

Derek cocked a brow, "Turn around for me, and just entertain me for a moment will you."

Taking in a deep breath, Penelope turned around, her hand gripping her towel deathly. She flinched immediately as Derek's smooth finger tips passed over the sort patch on her shoulder where she had landed heavily on the dresser corner. His fingers were cold and after the initial pain they caused, they were quite the relief.

"Care to explain?" Derek asked as his fingers ran over the fresh cut that was caused. "I know this was no accident, so don't try and butter it up for me."

Sighing, Penelope let her guard down completely and turned to face him, "I tried to stop Kevin from shutting the door to my closet, he was complaining about a draft coming through, I tried to stop him, but he managed to close it and saw all of the photos." She could feel her eyes watering a little as she rambled, "I stood in the way and tried to open the door again, to hide it, I told him it was nothing, he called it my pathetic Morgan shrine, a stupid unreal holy place that was only going to aid my fantasies, but then he pushed me out of the way so he could get to it and I must have lost my footing."

"So Kevin did this," Derek retorted at her, his tone dipping in anger. It was a question, it was more a sentence. He knew how to piece this situation together.

"It was an accident," Penelope defended, "I landed awkward and that's the damage. Kevin ripped the photos up and then left." She wiped the tears off of her face, "I shouldn't be crying over photos."

"Why not? They're personal to you," Derek responded, knowing how Penelope loved to savour moments of her life in snapshots.

"They're just photos," Penelope verified, more for her own sanity than anything else.

Derek remained silent for a moment. Grabbing his wallet, Derek went over to the closet door, took a piece of tact and pinned a photo in the middle of the door. He grabbed Penelope's hand and showed her what he had done.

"Why would you do that?" Penelope asked as her hand came up to run over the photo. Her eyes watered as the memory fluttered into her mind. "You've had this all along?" Penelope then asked directly after it.

"It's not the only one," Derek said and handed over his wallet for her to see all the photos he had minimised to fit the restraints of that piece of leather. "If you want them, have them because I hate to see you so sad. We can get others, that bit's easy." He then came to wipe the tears away, "Just never think you have to hide something that is personal to you, Penelope."

As he brought his face closer to hers, he smirked, and just did the most unthinkable act possible – he kissed her. Long and lustrous, passionate and heavy. He was showing her this wasn't a pity kiss, or something to appease her mood. No, this was a long time coming, and a deal sealer. He had no words to implant here, just actions. Now he was claiming her heart before they got too old for the game.

He was showing her that there were plenty more fish in the sea rather than telling her and to top it all, he was going to be the last fish she had to catch.

"Well then I better share that I'm in love with you," Penelope whispered as the kiss ended and they parted, "Because that's more than a little personal to me. Way more personal than photos."

"God it's great to get personal," He said and brought his lips to her again, pausing for a moment. "I love you too, and just because of Lynch's idiocy, he's lost out."

Penelope couldn't deny that having her own 'shrine' triggered her to admit that everything happened for a reason – as it always did.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- My Personal Shrine -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


End file.
